Officials at the National Institute of Ayurveda said that the facilities for ENT surgeries would begin shortly at the institute. The surgery department of NIA already has a well-equipped operation theatre with a C-arm facility, gastroscopy, and colonoscopy facilities.
The branch of Ayurveda dealing with ENT diseases is called the Shalakya Tantra, while general surgical procedures come under the field of Shalya Tantra. Surgeries such as appendectomy, cholecystectomy, hernial repairs, mastectomy, and thyroidectomy are conducted at the NIA under Shalya Tantra.
In its general shalya unit, NIA deals with general surgical and para-surgical procedures and offers treatment to patients. In the anorectal unit, it provides treatment through special Kshara Karma, Ksharasutra, and Agnikarma procedures to patients suffering from diseases like piles, fistula-in-ano, and fissure-in-ano.
In the orthopedic unit, patients are provided with treatment for fractures, dislocations of bones, and diseases of the joints. In the agnikarma unit, patients get treatment for tennis elbow and other such diseases. With the coming of the ENT unit, more patients will receive the benefit of Ayurveda applications in their lives.
It was on November 19, 2020, that the government amended the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Regulations, 2016, to introduce formal training in these procedures for postgraduate students of shalya and shalakya specializations.
The National Institute of Ayurveda is an apex autonomous Institute under the aegis of the Ministry of AYUSH. Unlike other Ayurveda centers, the NIA hospital is not confined to only herbal treatments as it also conducts several surgeries.
